By Isadora Pennington
Founded in 1971, the Paideia School on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown is a private institution for kids aged 3 through 18 years old. The school was founded by parents who wanted a more creative and stimulating education for their children.The tradition of parent involvement continues at Paideia to this day and is reflected in their programs and events.
One event that relies upon this close relationship between parents and the school is the annual Art Visions Artist Market, which returns Nov. 13 – 15. The event is an art sale that draws members of the community into the school for a weekend of shopping and supporting the arts. Boasting more than 100 artists this year, the event has grown from humble beginnings to become the large-scale art sale and market that it is today.
Judy Schwarz, director of Parent Involvement, said the event was founded in 1982 by Dottie McRae, a Paideia parent, and has always been run by parent volunteers. Participating artists split the profits of their art 60/40 with the school, funds which benefit the art programs and allow for purchases like art installations for the campus and new supplies for art classes.
“The faculty can purchase equipment that they might not have funds to buy,” explained Schwarz. “For example, we have a great new printing press that the high school students are using to create beautiful work.”
The event takes place in the gym at the school, a giant space that is transformed into a bustling market. Visitors have the opportunity to not only support local artists, but to also buy unique gifts for the holidays. “We pride ourselves on having a wide range of art and crafts at different price points,” said Schwarz. “We have jewelry, pottery, glass, fiber art, turned wood bowls, and much, much more.”
Evelyn Edmeades, a participating artist and parent volunteer, has been a part of this event for nearly 20 years. “As an artist, I am grateful for the opportunity to show and sell my paintings to a new group of people every year, and as a parent, I love knowing that almost half of the sales price goes to enriching the arts program,” Edmeades said.
“I have always admired how smoothly and professionally Art Visions is operated by the parent volunteers,” remarked Edmeades. “They bring their special skills to the table, whether it is organizing, layout and design, marketing, data entry, working with the artists or the actual installation.”
One such parent volunteer is Robin Critz, co-chair of the 2015 Art Visions. “To really experience the project from beginning to end, and see how many people come together, bringing all their talents together to make the event a success is quite something,” said Critz. An art lover since her own time in school as a kid, Critz was drawn to this event from the time when her oldest daughter Maddux started Pre-K at the school. “I loved that there was a fundraiser solely for the art department’s benefit at Paideia,” she explained. “I feel like it speaks to how important the arts are at Paideia school.
“Every year we strive to bring in new art and a fresh approach, while honoring the tradition of the market that really the community of artists has created,” explained Critz, who does much of her holiday shopping at the market. Her experiences working with Art Visions have even inspired her to begin creating more of her own art. “I would love to be a part of Art Visions from the contributing artist side in the future!”
For participating artists like Edmeades, the sale is a boon to the success of her work. “What began as a small art event for artists and parents has developed into a unique, large-scale art event that brings emerging and established local artists and craftspeople to the community,” she said. “I look forward to it every year.”
To learn more about this year’s event, visit paideiaschool.org/parent- involvement/artvision or follow them on social media at facebook.com/PaideiaArtVisions.
Check out these photos below from the market in previous years.
